Miami Heat: 5 goals for James Johnson in 2017-18

4. Maintain defensive impact

One of the biggest factors in the Heat re-signing Johnson this offseason to a four-year, $60 million contract was his ability to perform at both ends of the court.

With his increased capacity to cover the floor and defend a variety of positions, it was no coincidence that Johnson had the most influence of his career on the defensive end of the court. On top of averaging 1.1 blocks and 1.0 steals per game, Johnson also averaged 2.2 deflections, good for third on the team.

Over the season, Johnson had multiple blocks on 28 occasions, including a season-high four blocks in a loss to the Toronto Raptors. He also had multiple steals on 21 occasions, which included six games of three steals.

Furthermore, Johnson’s significantly improved physical conditioning enhanced his impact overall. For the season, Johnson led the team with 3.2 contested 3-point shots per game, and was third for overall contested field goals at 9.3 per game.

But in recent times, the most defining number from a defensive aspect is defensive rating, which determines the points allowed per 100 possessions. Last season, the Heat had a defensive rating 102.3 when Johnson was on the court, which would rank them third over the course of the season., But when he was resting, this number jumped to 106.2, which would have ranked 15th.

After a season of transformation, and also of familiarity with the Heat system, Johnson should be looking to match, and if possible exceed, his defensive output from last season.